“So many people on this block alone that I know that have lost their homes, lost everything. This is bad,” Michael Sullivan said.

David Klippel, 78, a retired police officer, said he didn’t see much of a threat after receiving an automated call advising him to leave. But that changed dramatically within an hour Thursday afternoon.

“I’ve never been so close to a fast-moving, ferocious fire. It was unbelievable,” said Klippel, who later learned his house had caught fire. “I almost didn’t have time to get out.”